Steve got into what J.K. Rowling would describe as a “row” with a Postal Service worker who demanded he show his ID to make a MasterCard purchase. This is a violation of MasterCard policy, but that doesn’t matter, according to the employee, because the Post Office is like the Fonz in that it plays by its own rules. [More]

When Andrea tried to use her Discover Card at Home Depot, the clerk told her she needed to show ID. Alarmed with this apparent violation of the merchant agreement, she called Discover and was told the ID-checking violated no agreement and was in fact company policy. [More]

A Domino’s PR rep says drivers aren’t allowed to ask you for your Social Security Number to verify credit card purchases. Drivers can ask to see your ID, but you can refuse and the driver can’t deny the transaction. [More]

Going from strip poles to iron bars in one night, a Consumerist reader says he got tossed in jail when he refused to give a strip club his thumbprint. Their ATM was broken so he had to pay his tab using a credit card cash advance. The club demanded a thumbprint and he refused, so cops that were already there threw him in jail. Was this legal? [More]

In response to yesterday’s post about a guy who likes showing his ID to checkout clerks when he makes credit card purchases, Adam rebuts with his explanation of how he used to be OK with the practice, but has now turned against it. [More]

James is just fine with companies violating the merchant agreement by checking his ID when he pays via credit card. His rationale is that the practice only increases his sense of security. He writes: [More]

Adam tried to buy some games at GameStop by using his credit card, but balked when the clerk demanded he show his ID. He alerted the higher-ups that the denial was a violation of the MasterCard merchant agreement, but the complaint fell on deaf ears. He writes: [More]

When businesses sign up to allow credit card use, they sign merchant agreements that say they won’t force customers make minimum purchases or, in some states, charge additional fees to credit card customers. As we’ve reported before, businesses don’t always hold up their end of the agreement.

Is Apple up to its oldtricks again? More scandalous than your run-of-the-mill violation, it seems that Apple stores are now displaying a high-quality sign advertising their blatant ignorance of the Merchant Agreement.

You might think that everyone knows that you have to sign your credit card in order for it to be valid — after all — there’s a panel on the back that says “Not Valid Unless Signed,” but you’d be shocked at the number of angry emails we get from people who have tried to use an unsigned credit card with “SEE ID” or “CHECK ID” written on it and were turned away when they refused to sign their card.